Sunset & Storm

Yesterday I had a very odd schedule with every Pilates class or private being around 2 hours apart. As I was heading home from the spa around 7:15pm I saw this gorgeous storm at sea right in front of me.



Spectacular, yes. And then I looked up a little and got the entire scenario.



A few moments later I turned the corner and it was just close enough to actual sunset to produce this showy cloud production.



Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remember that I am not dreaming-it's that beautiful!

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos, Caribbean, lynda lippin

Crescent August Moon

I took this photo the evening of 3 August 2008 while walking the dog right around dusk. I loved the combination of the pink sunset, the deep gray clouds, bright blue sky and the perfectly shaped crescent moon. I never tire of the skies, the water, and the views here. I so appreciate having the opportunity to live in a place of such great natural beauty! Every single day I see something new that makes me smile in wonder, awe, and gratitude.

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, lynda lippin

Tropical Storm Fay

As you can see from the radar image below from Weather Underground, Tropical Storm Fay is right in the passage between us and Hispaniola as she makes her way towards Cuba.


The rain started last night along with some pretty intense thunder and lightening, and the winds have been quite strong all day today. It has been raining on and off all day, and when it rains it rains hard! Below are some photos I took this morning of the sky as I was walking into work around 7:40am. Enjoy!

Tags: Photographs, Caribbean, Turks and Caicos, Parrot Cay, Providenciales, Tropical Storm Fay, lynda lippin

A Window To Heaven

Sometimes I look at the sky here and feel like I am really seeing into Heaven. On this day as the storm clouds were rolling in I looked up and there was this little keyhole of bright blue and white sunny sky peeking in between all those clouds. And after the rain it was sunny and beautiful once again. There is a parable in all of this, I have no doubt. Something about there always being a bright spot if you keep looking for one. Enjoy!

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos, Caribbean, lynda lippin

Caribbean Clouds

This is the same sky at the same time, with one shot on zoom. I am always fascinated by the cloud formations here, especially at dusk and on stormy days. On this day we had intermittent rain all day and night, so I was expecting some great shots on my way home from the spa. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoy taking them!

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos, Caribbean, lynda lippin

New Blooms at Parrot Cay

I was walking Smiley the other day and noticed these lovely red flowers blooming all over the place just down the road from our staff housing and behind the banana tree grove. I have been watching this tree for close to a year now and didn't think it bloomed at all; I thought it was some kind of evergreen tree. But the blooms are large, red with a bit of variegated white thrown in, and only seem to last about a day or so before they fall off. I'm not sure how long this tree blooms (I will ask Tony), but now that I've seen this one I am noticing others around the spa. Just lovely!

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos, Caribbean, lynda lippin

Starfish

Of the over 2000 varieties of sea stars (the more scientific name for the starfish, which is not a fish at all), I have probably seen around 10 different ones while living in Turks & Caicos. According to National Geographic, Sea Stars are carnivorous echinoderms (like sea urchins) with no brains or blood that live up to 35 years. Anyway, Tony took this a few days ago near the southern end of Parrot Cay and emailed it over to me. Enjoy!

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Caribbean, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, sea stars, starfish, lynda lippin

Over the Rainbow

Rainbows are pretty much a daily occurrence in the Caribbean. We get large ones that seem to go right over the entire group of islands and we get smaller ones from the sun just hitting a raincloud at the right angle. Yesterday I went to the beach at 8am to teach my Beach Pilates class and there was this rainbow. Small, not too bright, but what a lovely way to start the day! I was glad I had my Blackberry with me to record the moment.

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Caribbean, Turks and Caicos, Providenciales, lynda lippin

Orchids in the Trees

I love orchids but have never been able to maintain them. I either overkill them with love, care, and water, or it was just too darn cold in Philadelphia. The climate in Turks & Caicos, however, being all tropical, is perfect for orchids.

My husband started a program of orchid preservation and growth here on Parrot Cay involving tying the plants to trees around the property to allow them to root and bloom with plenty of natural sun and water. Here you see two plants behind the spa that just bloomed, one red & one yellow. Aren't they great?

Tags: Parrot Cay, Plants, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, Caribbean, Living In Caribbean, Photographs, lynda lippin

Jane In Spain's May Movie

My friend & Reiki Master Jane Young in Spain posts a new inspirational movie every month on her website. This coming month's title is Infinite Possibilities with photos by Jane and music by Craig Pruess. The focus for May is on the matrix of invisible nothingness that lays behind what we call reality. Enjoy!

Tags: Reiki, Photographs, jane young, inspiration, joy, lynda lippin

Sharks and Turtle

On one side of our little island is an ocean fed saltwater lake area where several years ago some staff members brought over 2 nurse shark pups and a baby sea turtle. As you can see, all involved are quite healthy, alive, and well! There is plenty of food for them and they graciously allow us to swim, snorkel, and fish in their lovely abode. A great story and a great photo.

Tags: Living In Caribbean, Turks and Caicos, Parrot Cay, Photographs, Providenciales, lynda lippin

Bromeliad Blooms

Maybe it's Tony's new job as landscaping supervisor and maybe it's just that I can so easily take photos and email them from my Blackberry 8320, but I have been a picture taking fool with the new spring/summer blooming going on here. This is a new Bromeliad bloom from a plant that Tony has cultivated near his office. There are also several around the property. Just a spectacular flower.

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos, Providenciales, Living In Caribbean, bromeliad, flower, lynda lippin

Tornados and Water Spouts

The other day on the boat trip back to Parrot Cay from shopping on Providenciales (and from Tony's final kidney stone related doctor's appointment) we passed some storms out to sea. Suddenly Tony nudged me and said, "see the tornado?" There were actually up to 4 in a row at some points, but I managed to capture a couple of them here. I had never seen a spout live and in person before, so I was thrilled!

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos, Providenciales, Living In Caribbean, tornado, water spout, storm, lynda lippin

Flowering Bananas

This afternoon I went to visit Tony at Landscaping and he showed me this banana flower. Neither one of us had ever seen a flower this large (the petals are oval about 9" long and 5" wide) and certainly had not seen blooms at the ends of young bananas themselves. It's fascinating to me the different ways plants flower and bloom at different times of year here, even without drastic climate changes.

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos, Providenciales, Living In Caribbean, banana tree, banana flower, lynda lippin

Caribbean Weather

We've had some interesting weather lately. No big rains; just some smaller storms passing by, through, and sometimes over us. On my way home from the spa a few days ago I saw this beautiful storm cloud passing right in front of me as I came up the hill. What's interesting about t is that if you look closely there are 2 systems with rain falling in different directions, forming a pyramid shape. Awesome, huh?

Tags: Caribbean, Living In Caribbean, Parrot Cay, Photographs, Turks and Caicos, Providenciales, lynda lippin

Morning Commute

On Monday mornings at 8am I have the privilege of teaching a Beach Pilates class right on the main resort beach. Mind you, I tried to sell the idea of a Grace bay beach Pilates class to every resort on Provo and NOT ONE went for it! In fact, I received a call the other day from the concierge at Grace Bay Club asking if I could teach Pilates to one of their guests. I replied, "Only if they come over to Parrot Cay on a day pass and book with me at the Spa!" Anyway, enough of that.

If I do not have a private or anything immediately after class I love to walk home on the beach. Here are photos of this morning's 15 minute commute.

This first photo is the view of the water at 9am when class was over.



Then we have the long look at my destination (I live in central housing just left of the rocky point).



And finally the point as I am closer to home.



Not a bad life, huh?

Tags: Photographs, Parrot Cay, Caribbean, Turks and Caicos, Living In Caribbean, Pilates, grace bay, grace bay club, lynda lippin

Smiley Discovers Grass

On Providenciales there is no grass. Grass as we know it in the US is not native to this region, and tends not to grow well on coral rock limestone, requiring a lot of looking after. On Parrot Cay, however, we have a lot of well kept grass and Smiley loves it! Here she is just yesterday enjoying a roll in the grass:



Could she be any cuter? If you would like to adopt a potcake of your very own (and it is easy and very possible to have one flown to you) contact Potcake Place or the TCSPCA.

Tags: Potcakes, Turks and Caicos, Providenciales, Parrot Cay, Living In Caribbean, tcspca, potcake place, lynda lippin

Lunar Eclipse Photos

One great thing about living on a small island with little ambient light is that when something like an eclipse occurs you can really see it! I took these photos with my new Blackberry Curve 8320 and emailed them to my computer.

First, the moon was full and bright enough to form shadows and require no flashlight for my walk home from the spa. This was taken at 9:02pm.

By 9:30pm we could already see the eclipse beginning.

At 10pm only a bit of the moon is still lit (but isn't it cool how it is so clear that you can still see the outline of the entire orb?).

By 10:02pm, just before I went to bed, only the tiniest sliver of the light remains. Too cool!

Tags: Photographs, Turks and Caicos, Parrot Cay, Caribbean, lunar eclipse 2008, lynda lippin

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Rudolph's Jewish cousin, Shlomo!

Tags: Jews, Photographs, christmas, holidays, lynda lippin

New Studio Pictures!